Generation Apocalypse
by Alex311
Summary: This is an AU Richonne fic where they meet under different and hostile circumstances and how they learn to rely on each other to survive. They will start as enemies that join forces because of common interests, but then form a true bond that will lead to so much more…. This is a collaborative Fanfic with the amazingly talented Oreganofox.
1. The Change

**We do not own anything TWD related in any way because we are not Gimble or Kirkman…Dang it!**

 **This is a collaborative Fanfic with the amazingly talented Oreganofox. It was inspired by the following lyrics provided by Organofox:**

 _ **"Thinkin' 'bout the first time I saw you baby, ha yeah  
We fell in love so fast  
Anyone could tell  
This kind o' love has gotta last, last"**_

 _ **The song is Johnny Guitar Watson- I Want To Ta-Ta You Baby**_

 **It is an AU Richonne fic where they meet under different and hostile circumstances and how they learn to rely on each other to survive. They will start as enemies that join together because of common interests, but then form a true bond that will lead to so much more….**

 **Hope you Enjoy**

 **_0_**

The change….

A blue BMW pulled up to the middle school entrance. The school is located in the city of Atlanta. A ten years old girl stared out the passenger side window and glared at all the other children entering at the sound of the bell. The young girl with beautiful dark brown skin, beautiful brown expressive eyes and shoulder length braids took a deep breath, unhooked her seatbelt and grabbed the car handle readying to exit.

"Mich…I know it's hard." Said the lady in the driver's seat. The lady looked like an older version of the girl. "I know it was exciting to travel with your dad wherever the military took him. It was exciting for me too, but your father wants stability for us and he thought that we should try to live here…In Atlanta for a little while."

"Mom… I miss him. When will we see him again?" Asked the young girl as she looked down and tried to keep a tear from falling from her eye.

"Mich… He's work is really important. They need him in Washington right now…But you can call him when you come from school… Oh and Michonne…" Her mother gently touched her chin pulling her face up and then towards her so their eyes can meet. "I picked up this flyer yesterday when I went grocery shopping. There is a martial arts school not too far from home, so you can continue your practice. I know you are pretty advanced, but it's good to meet other people and kids your age that are into the same…maybe?"

Michonne nodded and shrugged her shoulders, uncertain about meeting new people since she wasn't the typical social butterfly her mother wanted her to be. She reluctantly agreed to take the class to spare her mother of any added stress. She kissed her mother on the cheek.

"I love you mom" She smiled at her.

"I love you too sweetheart. Everything's gonna be alright" She opened the door and came out of the passenger side door. She walked towards the entrance of the school, turned and waved as her mother drove away.

She turned and walked towards the entrance of the school.

Michonne walked into the school and towards a classroom. She removed her backpack and took out a folded piece of paper from a side pocket. She unfolded the paper and saw that the number on the door matched the number on the paper. She walked in and looked for a vacant chair, which were few. Seconds later, after finding a seat and desk and sitting down, entered the teacher with a leather briefcase and a huge warm smile. The teacher was a tall, thin young, attractive Caucasian man.

"Morning class…Welcome to a new year and hopefully it is one filled with excitement and lots of learning. My name is Mr. Blake and I will be your homeroom teacher for the year.

XXXXXXXX

One hour later the police and other unfamiliar personnel ran inside the school alerting the teachers that they needed to get the children in school buses and out of the school as soon as possible. Mr. Blake was approached by the principal who urged him to leave as quickly as he could.

"But Mr. Cole, what is going on?" Asked Mr. Blake as he looked over at the children in his class.

"Just do what was told Mr. Blake. Get these children to the buses waiting outside!" Shouted Mr. Cole as he ran to the next classroom.

Mr. Blake looked at the class, ordered everyone to gather their stuff as he walked to his desk and put his items in his briefcase. His hands were shaking and it took him longer to put his things in his briefcase as items were falling out of his shaken grip. Mr. Blake took out his cell phone, but was stopped before attempting to make a call as he noticed that his phone had no signal. Michonne noticed his unsettling behavior and checked her own phone to discover the same dilemma occurring.

"Every…Everybody, please get your stuff and…And follow me." Stammered Mr. Blake as he walked out the classroom into a crowded and loud hallway. His class followed him as he walked out of the school and escorted the children into the first school bus parked and waiting outside. Michonne was at the door of the bus looking around as the other children entered quickly as instructed.

"Mr. Blake, I don't ride the bus. My mother is supposed to pick me up." Insisted a confused Michonne.

"I understand that…. Something is happening and they have instructed us to get in the…"

"Bang!...Bang!" Suddenly there were uniformed police shooting what appeared to be people, but they looked to be growling and walked in a clumsy manner. Despite their appearance, they began to outnumber the officers as they jumped on them and commenced to bite at their flesh. Mr. Blake and Michonne could not believe their eyes.

"I need to find my mother!" Michonne attempted to run away but the teacher grabbed her arm.

"No! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" She tried to pull herself away from him but he kept a tight grip on her arm.

"Let go of me!" She shouted, trying to fight him off.

Mr. Blake pulled the girl into the bus and ordered the driver to close the door and turn on the engine.

"Let me out of here!" She screamed, banging on the door multiple times.

Once inside they saw how the strange looking people began to go after the remaining school community before they were able to enter the other buses. The driver in the first bus, inhabited by Mr. Blake, Michonne and the rest of their class made a quick unauthorized decision to leave the scene. The driver pressed down on the gas and drove off. Mr. Blake and the children ran to the back of the bus and saw the horrendous scene unfold before their eyes.

XXXXXXXXX

 _Later that afternoon…_

A thirteen year old Caucasian boy, with dark brown curls and piercing blue eyes parked his bike on his porch and entered his home. He lived in a small town called King's County with his parents and younger brother Brett. He opened the front door and called out to his mother.

"Hey mom, I'm home and starving…" The boy is abruptly silent when he saw his father in his officer uniform holding his mother as they watch the news with worried looks on their faces. "What's…What's wrong?" Asked the boy.

"Son, something happened and people are going crazy. I want you to go upstairs and pack up some stuff…. Oh, and try to help you little brother if you can. Your mom will be upstairs soon. I'm going to get the car ready." Said the father as he was about to leave to the garage.

"But…What happened?" Asked the boy as he continued to stand in the living room.

The father walked up to the boy and placed a gentle right hand on his shoulder. "Rick…I don't have any answers at the moment and I really wish I did, but what I do know is that I need you to get your things…We have to go!"

The father walked out of the living room in haste. Rick looked over at the television and saw the pandemonium and could not believe what he was seeing or hearing. " _People eating people?"_ He thought to himself. Rick looked around to see what he could take. He ran upstairs and emptied his backpack on his bed and proceeded to fill it with clothing and other items he's used when he would go camping with his father and brother.

"Rick!" His mother called out.

Rick went to check what was going on. He ran towards her room. "Mom, what is it?"

"Grab that bag for me please and take it to the car I can't carry all of these on my own." Rick nodded and did as he was asked. He saw his mother carrying and struggling with four sleeping bags. Rick insisted on taking two of the sleeping bags from her. The mother went on her way to the car; Rick swung one of the bags over his shoulder when it hit a picture frame on the nightstand sending it crashing on the floor. Rick put down the bags, knelt down to get the picture frame. It was a family portrait of him, his parents and brother during happier times. He removed the picture from the broken frame and placed it in his jacket pocket. He stood up, laid the broken frame on the corner of the night stand when he noticed on the floor something grey sticking out from under it. When he knelt down again to see what it was, he came across a thick gray rectangular box with no markings on it. Opening the box he saw multiple golden bullets and a silver colt revolver. He ran to his room and snuck them into his backpack.

XXXXXXXX

16 years later….

The world had gone through a significant transformation. The dead walked the earth and tried to consume the living, governments fell, the human population diminished and law was more a personal belief than a universally established rule. People tried to survive the best they could. During the early years of the apocalypse it was apparent that people lasted longer if they were in groups. Groups became clans and eventually their talents, strengths or crafts distinguished them from the rest. Survivors began to settle into their fitted groups at different locations and it was understood that unless you were an accepted member of a particular group, you didn't step foot into foreign territory or that meant war.

There were groups that were known for their fighting abilities, but there were others identified for other contributions and would stay away as much as they could. A particular group was known as the Farmers. They were mostly people who escaped from the early mayhem. They originally came from little towns and used their farming and harvesting abilities to survive. They had a few members that were skilled with weapons, but for the most part, were meek and very lucky that other groups did not view them as a threat nor did they want what they had. That was all about to change.

Rick walked up to his front door. He was covered in dirt and sweat due to the long day in the fields planting new crops and extracting everything that was ready to be harvested for the upcoming winter season. Sixteen years ago, Rick's family and a few of their friends and neighbors found a settlement far away from the cities, it was very early, when all the changes started happening. Finding the settlement to be safe and the soil healthy for farming, they stayed there and started a community. Later, other similar survivors came along, joined and did the same. Rick grew up and later married one of his childhood friends, Lori.

He reached for the door knob but suddenly stopped and looked around. There was something that caught his attention. There was a unique symbol carved deeply into the wall with a dark diagonal smear running through it. At the bottom of the wall were five separate finger prints on the floor with a large splatter mark a couple of inches above it. Directly above the symbol there was another sharp line going straight across; like if a sharp object scrapped the wall. He could not decipher what it could be, but there was something stirring the otherwise cool evening air. He turned from where he stood to get a better look.

"Dad!" It was Carl. His eight years old son was looking through the window. The boy ran towards the door and opened it to greet his father with something in his hand. The child's enthusiasm and words took Rick outside of his recent thoughts and forming concerns.

"Hey Carl!… How was school today?" Asked Rick. The boy extended his arms to show him something he held in his grasp. It was a carving made out of wood. It was what appeared to be a carving of an eagle.

"Dad, look what Mr. Jenkins did today in art class. He said I could have it since I like animals so much." Said the boy as his father took the craft and inspected it with a smile and a nod.

"Enough talk you two. Go wash your hands and get ready for supper." Said a thin lady with a dish towel over her shoulder as she walked up to Rick and Carl. She was Lori. Rick's wife and Carl's mother.

The boy complied with his mother's request. Lori was about to walk away when Rick gently grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her towards him for a hug.

"Did you get enough?" Asked Lori as she looked into Rick's bright blue eyes.

"I figure we have enough for the coming winter. We are truly lucky to have found this community located on such good soil." Added Rick. He then took a deep breath and appeared to be pensive.

"Something wrong?" Lori inquired.

"It's just that… I know we haven't ventured further beyond the river's end, but I still believe there must be survivors out there. It has been quiet and tranquil for the most part… Since our parents found this place… But I had been speaking with Shane and Raul and feel that we should be cautious." Shared Rick.

"Cautious?… Did… Did you see something or heard something?" Asked a concern Lori.

"No…It's just… I felt."

"Knock…Knock."

Lori went to open the door to find Shane standing there with two bottles of wine.

"Hey guys, look what I found." Said Shane as he held the bottles high.

"Where did you get them?" Asked Lori.

"Well, Raul, Mack and I went on an overnight run to see if we can get some more needed supplies and found these and five others under some floor boards." Said Shane.

"Well, we were getting ready for dinner and this would go fine." Stated Lori as she accepted the gifts and asked Shane to enter.

XXXXXXXXX

The night was dark, cool and quiet. Walls were erected and perimeter watch were the norm, but since nothing had ever happened since the beginning of the Zombie Apocalypse, even the guards were not concerned and the one on night watch was asleep.

It was 2:30 AM and Mack, a middle aged Caucasian male, was sleeping at his post near the gate. Nothing could be heard but his snoring. His snoring had become so loud that it abruptly woke him. He opened his eyes and shook his head and wiped the drool from the right side of his mouth. He stayed in his seated position and closed his eyes once again and crossed his arms to resume his slumber.

"Wake up." A whisper opened his eyes. He looked side to side, but didn't see anyone. He reached for his shotgun that he placed on the floor next to his chair, but it was gone. He heard the sound of leaves crunching towards his far left. When he looked towards that direction he could see a figure in the night.

"Who's…Who's there?" Stammered Mack. He swallowed hard and felt the hair standing on his arms and the back of his neck. Mack narrowed his eyes trying to get a better view, but the darkness would not allow. A chill went down his spine as he stood and turned to go the opposite direction of the figure.

"Swoosh!" An arrow to the back of the head stopped Mack before he could go any further.

Roger, another guard was coming to relieve Mack. "Hey, I brought coffee didn't know if you'd like some…" Roger stopped in his tracks when he saw Mack faced down in a pool of blood. "What the hell?!" Roger turned to run, but was stopped when a hooded figure dressed in black was face to face with him. Roger's eyes widened, he tried to scream but the blood that filled his mouth prevented any sounds. Roger looked down to his abdomen and saw a blade going through. Roger's cups of coffee feel to the ground. He reached for his gun, but could only shoot to the ground as the blade was twisted and pulled out with force. Once the blade was out of his body, the dark figure turned and kicked the dying man to the ground and vanished in the night. Roger looked over towards the walls and saw more similar figures jumping over the walls. Roger mustered all the strength he could, pointed his gun up towards the sky and unloaded his weapon as a signal.

XXXXXXX

Rick laid in bed as he held Lori in his arms. The silence of the night was also found in their home.

"Knock!…Knock!…Knock!"

Rick jumped up from bed due to the unexpected and unwelcome knocking at his door. Rick ran to the door and was met once again with Shane, but this time he was not bringing gifts nor was he smiling. Shane was at the doorway with a gash on his head and blood and lacerations on his upper body.

"Brother… We are under attack!" Shouted Shane as he gasped for air.

"What?!" Asked a confused Rick. But suddenly all was clear as he looked beyond Shane to see the homes that they constructed up in flames and people they knew running for their lives.

"Get Lori and Carl and go!" Yelled Shane.

"BAM!" The home next to Rick's blew up. Rick and Shane fell to the ground due to the impact. Lori ran towards Rick holding on to a freighted and crying Carl.

"Rick! What is happening?" Yelled Lori as she looked on to the horrors outside her doors with wide eyes.

Rick turned to his family. "Lori, take Carl and go to the barn. I will be right behind you." Lori did not want to run without Rick, but she knew that he needed to help Shane who was to weakened to run on his own. Lori took Carl and ran.

Lori and Carl were quiet and quick. They tried their best not to bring unwanted attention towards them from the invaders. Lori tried to hold back the tears as she heard the blasts of dynamite and the screams of people she knew and loved, who were part of her community. Once at the barn, they slowly opened the door and entered. They needed to hide quickly when they heard footsteps behind them approaching. Lori did not know if it was Rick and Shane but she did not want to take the chance with Carl and decided to hide behind hay and some firewood.

The footsteps were quick and almost quiet. The person appeared to check the barn. Lori and Carl crouch down and covered their mouths as tears came down their cheeks. The footsteps became more profound as they got closer to where Lori and Carl were hiding. Lori looked around for an exit or a weapon, but could not find either. She heard the footsteps get closer and before she could form a plan the owner of the dreadful sounds was right in front of them. The person was dressed in dark clothing, wore a hooded poncho, dark pants and boots and an unsheathe sword in the right hand. When the assailant lifted their head up Lori and Carl were frightened by the creepy distinct mask the person wore. The eyes and teeth were slightly big and covered with different markings and blood stains. Lori feared for both their lives, seeing their reflections on the sword as the person raised it higher, preparing to make the first cut. Lori held on tightly to Carl as the boy did the same and wept.

"Mommy….I love you." Cried Carl.  
"I love you too… Sweetheart." Added Lori.

Suddenly, the hooded person lowered the sword but did not speak. The person simply looked and slightly tilted its head while looking at the display between the mother and child.

"Please…don't…" Lori pleaded. The hooded person turned its head when the sounds of someone else's footsteps approached.

The hooded person turned once again towards Lori and Carl and placed its finger close to its own face as to indicate not to make a sound. The hood and mask would not allow for Lori to see the hooded stranger's face or features.

Lori nodded at the stranger. The hooded stranger left the barn and met the approaching person outside.

"Is there anybody in there?… He doesn't want any survivors." Declared a deep male voice.

"No… Nothing is in there. Let's go." Replied a female voice.

The two strange people finished their quick discussion and left.

XXXXXXXXX

Rick was holding on to Shane as they walked passed Shane's house towards the barn to meet up with Lori and Carl.

"Rick… Wait." Said Shane.

"Wait?…Brother, we have to go!" Insisted Rick.

"We…Need….We need weapons. I have some in my house." Shane tried to use the little energy he had left to pull Rick towards his home and get what he had, so they can defend themselves. As much as Rick just wanted to run towards his family, he knew Shane was right. "But then Rick remembered that he also had a useful weapon in his own home.

"Listen brother, let's go back to my house…"

"Nah man!... I need to get to my house… You don't understand… I need to get something." Interrupted an insisting Shane.

"Shane… We don't have much time. I need to get to my family."

"Rick you don't understand." Shane looked into Rick's confused eyes. He then rubbed his head, looked away into the distance and guilt began to cover his face. " We took something we shouldn't have… Mack and me…"

"What do you mean?... What did you do?" Probed Rick in a frantic tone."

"BOOM!"

More homes continued to blow up. Rick knew he had no time to argue at the moment.

They walked as fast as they could towards Shane's house. Shane told Rick where he had his weapons and Rick placed Shane on his porch. She was in no condition to keep walking around. Rick needed to get the weapons and then help his friend get to the barn.

Rick ran to Shane's bedroom and retrieved two handguns and a shotgun. He was walking out when he met up with two figures in the dark. One of the figures quickly threw a knife and cut Rick on the upper right shoulder. Rick instinctively aimed one of his guns and proceeded to shoot getting the person in the chest and head. The other figure was quicker and more cunning. The figure used the shadows to conceal their whereabouts. Rick tried to hide in the shadows as well, but not to strike, to defend himself and get out of the house and to his waiting friend.

Rick knew the layout of Shane's home since he helped him build it and they were close friends. He knew where things were, even in the dark. Rick walked slowly and quietly as he tried to reach a desk that had a flask light. Once Rick reached the desk, opened the drawer and retrieved the flashlight he heard footsteps behind him. He turned with the shotgun and saw metal coming his way. Rick was able to block it with the shotgun, but noticed that the weapon was severely damaged by the impact and the flashlight along with a handgun was knocked out of his grasp. Rick grabbed a small chair next to the desk and flung it towards the figure that was still in the darkness. Rick backed up towards the window, picked up one of the handguns, and pointed it towards the pursuing figure. By then, Rick was able to make out that the person wore a hood and mask to conceal their identity. The hooded figure held what appeared to be a katana in her right hand and her stance looked like she was ready to pounce.

"BOOM!...CRUSH!"

XXXXXXXX

The daylight peaked through a small opening. Rick opened his eyes to see the sun but also felt heavy objects on him. Rick pushed with all his might, all that was upon his body and slowly stood up. Rick found himself among rubble, which was once Shane's home. Rick had bruises and splinters on his forehead and arms but was mostly fine. He dug his way out towards the light and found that the community was quiet except for roaming walkers. There were walkers who were unknown and sadly, there were also people that he knew too well. The homes were all destroyed and what laid in ruins was covered in smoke. Rick called out for his family and friend, but there were no responses. Rick ran as fast as his bruised body would allow and reached the barn, but to continue his disappointment. His wife and child were also gone. Rick could not contain his sadness as it erupted in a bitter cry filled with uncontrollable tears as he laid broken on the ground.

XXXXXXXXX

An hour had past and Rick looked around trying to gather what he could as weapons. He wanted to look for his family, but he did not know where to start. Worst, he did not know who attacked them and why. Rick remembered the weapons he found at Shane's house. He still had one handgun, but he was going to check the shotgun and see if it was completely destroyed and if it was, take the ammo and use it with another weapon. Once back in the wreckage he found the shotgun, but he was right the first time. It was damaged beyond repair.

Rick heard a noise. He quickly grabbed his revolver and pointed it towards the sound. He walked up towards it and saw that someone was trapped under some debris but still alive. Rick was filled with so much anger. He thought about his family, friends and community. He wanted the person that laid on the ground to pay with their life for all that happened. Rick wanted to see the face of the person who will pay for everything. Rick removed the piece of sheetrock that covered the person and saw the creepy masked figure. Rick looked around, found a huge piece of cement and held it in his right hand.

Rick stood over the figure, threw the piece of debris to the side and raised the huge piece of cement as he held it with both hands.

"Ahhhhh!" He heard, what sounded like a female voice. He glanced over, removed the covering mask to find a beautiful young woman, with dark brown skin and dreadlocks lying on the floor unconscious. Rick tilted his head, slowly lowered the piece of cement. Rick was in complete awe that he didn't notice when the piece of cement fell out of his grip.

 **_0_**

 **Yeah, a unique twist, but it will be an interesting ride and it is very much a Richonne fic.**

 **What do you think?**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	2. The Story Teller

The story teller….

 _16 years earlier…._

The school bus finally made an abrupt stop almost 10 miles away. There were children crying and trying to contact their parents with their cell phones but to no avail. Mr. Blake attempted to do the same, but was met with the same result. He looked over at the bus driver. The bus driver sat in his seat with a shock look on his face. Mr. Blake could see from his peripheral vision a face glaring back at him, it was Michonne. He turned his head towards the child. She was not crying, she was silent and held her thoughts through her expressive eyes.

"We'll…We'll be OK." Said a very non-convincing Mr. Blake. She continued to stare past him, not saying a word. With everyone crying and panicked she remained numb. Her brown eyes told him she was hurting but the dull, neutral expression on her face showed him how she was able to shield her feelings from everyone and keep her pain within. To him, this is a child who was different from the rest.

The child sighed deeply and turned her head to look out the window. Mr. Blake turned his head and nodded to himself. He tried to think where he should go. He needed to get to his family and he had all these children as his responsibility. He finally decided on driving by the office where his wife worked. He needed to check on her and hopefully find her. Her office was located only a block away from his daughter's school. He knew that they were not close to the mayhem he just witnessed at the school, but he couldn't get in contact with her to know if she was alright.

Mr. Blake gave the bus driver the directions and they were on their way. The bus driver turned on the radio and all the channels were flooded with reports about strange occurrences where "sick" people were attacking other people. The bus became silent as the reporter continued to describe the attacks and telling people to steer clear from anything similar.

The bus finally arrived and parked close to an office building in Atlanta. Mr. Blake ordered the children to stay in the bus as he looked for his wife and child. He asked the driver to give him at least fifteen minutes. The driver agreed with a quick nod.

XXXXXXX

The streets were chaotic and filled with people running from all directions, trying to leave as fast as they could. Mr. Blake knew that he had limited time. He ran up the stairs of the office building and reached the floor where his wife worked. There was nobody in the waiting area. He looked around and saw documents and other office items scattered all over the floor. Mr. Blake proceeded to look from room to room, calling for his wife. When he was approaching the last closed room down the hall, out of nowhere someone jumped on him. Mr. Blake fell to the floor on his back with the person still clinging on to him. Mr. Blake struggled to rid himself of the person's grip as he pushed the person up to see blood and drool pouring out of the unknown's mouth. The strange person started to snap his teeth, trying to bite Mr. Blake. Mr. Blake used all his might to push the person off sending him to the other side of the space that they were wrestling in. Mr. Blake stood and quickly looked for a weapon to defend himself. He saw in his far left on a desk saw a large metal hole puncher. He quickly leaped to grab it before the unhinged person was able to pounce on him once again. Mr. Blake swung the object and connected with substantial force. The person fell but got up and proceeded to lunge at Mr. Blake yet again. Mr. Blake looked at his weapon and then the person and shook his head in disbelief. He continued to hit the person on the body and head. With one last strong swing on the top of the head, Mr. Blake heard a cracking noise and saw that the attacker finally fell and did not get up as before.

"Help us!" Mr. Blake heard voices calling for help from behind the close door. He tried to open it, but it was locked.

"Open up!...It's Philip Blake…I'm here…"

Before Mr. Blake was able to finish his plea the door swung open and there stood his wife Kimberly holding his daughter Amy. Mr. Blake's eyes filled with tears of joy as he embraced his family.

"Amy didn't feel well this morning at school, so I picked her up and brought her to the office. Mr. Lenard locked us in here when that person started attacking." Kimberly explained.

"How is it out there?" Asked Mr. Lenard as he walked up to the family still held in an embrace.

"It's like something I've never seen before." Mr. Blake said as he looked at Mr. Lenard and the other people in the room. "We got to get out of here, now!... I have a bus outside waiting. We have to go!"

In one swift motion, Mr. Blake grabbed Kimberly by the hand and carried his daughter in his other arm as he proceeded out of the building and towards the awaiting bus. Mr. Lenard and the other people followed. Once they got to the bus, Mr. Blake was met with a disruption. The driver was cowering in his seat, as he covered his head. Two girls were hitting him with their backpacks.

"What is going on?" Asked Mr. Blake.

The two girls stopped the attack.

"He wanted to leave, but we didn't let him!" Stated a blond girl named Andrea.

"Time wasn't up… and we were all going to wait for you." Stated Michonne, the other girl as she glanced over at the driver and gave him a menacing stare.

"OK…girls, get to your seats and get ready to go." Mr. Blake said and the girls followed, not before Andrea gave the driver one more hit on the head.

The bus pulled out of Atlanta just as army tanks and trucks began to drive in.

XXXXXXXXX

They drove away from the city. They stopped the bus in the woods, but were able to get a view of Atlanta from where they were perched. They rested there and decided to camp for the night as the day began to get dark. Mr. Blake shared that it would be best if the children rested and then they would plan on how to reach their families in the morning. Mr. Blake was standing next to Kimberly when Mr. Lenard approached them.

"Listen… Phil, we have limited resources and I don't feel comfortable being out here in the open like this.

"I know Lenard, but I don't want to put the children and my family in harm's way… Plus they are very tired and they need to rest. I'll see what I can do in the morning." Philip gave Lenard a reassuring warm smile, but Lenard did not return the same and walked away shaking his head. Lenard was Kimberly's boss for four years. He was a medium built Caucasian man in his early forties. He wasn't very attractive, but his wealth made him think that he was. She was the accountant at his firm when his wife and he were business partners. Once the divorce was final and the wife left the firm almost a year ago, Lenard began to change many things, including the way he interacted with the employees. He became more of a tyrant than a leader and his despicable nature didn't stop at simply yelling at his employees and calling them inappropriate things. He would also sexually harass the women and would occasionally hit on Kimberly. She never told Philip because she didn't want to create any problems for her husband. Although, Philip was a very mild manner man who used his words, never used his fists and would often be considered a gentle giant, because of his height and nature. Kimberly was going to give Lenard her resignation the day everything changed.

"You're doing all you can." Kimberly believed as she placed a soft hand on Philip's back. He turned to her and smiled and nodded.

Lenard walked back to sit on a log next to Edwin Price. An office manager in his early thirties that worked for Leonard for more than five years and did everything he said.

"That idiot doesn't know what he is doing." Lenard claimed as he looked over at Philip and Kimberly with disgust and envy in his eyes.

"But…what else can we do? Maybe he's right about waiting." Edwin added.

"Listen to me boy. I didn't become who I am waiting on others to give me permission. I did what I wanted and when… Remember that!" Shouted Lenard as his eyes fixated on Kimberly from a distance.

XXXXXXXX

The children were gathered around a small fire created by Philip. He sat next to Kimberly and Amy was in his lap. He could see their face. The children looked loss and scared. He noticed that one child sat further away from the others. It was Michonne. Philip looked over at her.

"Hey!" Philip called out. Michonne looked up and saw him motion with his right hand to move in closer. At first she was reluctant but slowly moved in closer and found a seat next to Andrea and Milton.

"Have any of you ever heard of the Leader of forest people?" Philip inquired as he looked at the sad faces. The children shook their heads indicating that they haven't heard of it. Philip looked at Amy who nodded letting him know that she wanted him to tell the story so he proceeded. "A very long time ago, lived a young man in a small town where simple people lived. They didn't have much, but what they did have they shared with each other, like one big family. They lived in small homes, wore rags, but were very happy. The young man named Tom, who loved this pretty girl in town. Her name was Emilia. He wanted to court her, but was very shy and afraid. He finally gathered enough courage and decided that tomorrow was going to be the day. One night, the king's men came into town looking for the most beautiful women. The king wanted a new bride and didn't care if she wanted to marry him or not. The men went from home to home and finally found Emilia, the girl that had stolen the young boy's heart. When he heard her and her parents screaming as they took her away, Tom tried to fight, but was quickly beaten by the guards and left on the grown. He wanted to go after the men, but he was to hurt to follow and the other men in town were to scared to face the king and his army. The following morning, Tom was in the forest. He was angry with himself and his inability to do anything to save his true love. He walked to a creek bent over in pain. His ribs were broken and his face was bleeding. He saw his reflection in the water and closed his eyes. Suddenly, he heard a voice cry out for help. He looked around to see where it was coming from. He ran past the trees and heard the cries getting louder. From far he could see two kids laughing as their two large dogs barked at something in a tree. The person in the tree continued to cry for help. Tom was so angry with the spectacle that he picked up rocks and started throwing it towards the two boys and their dogs. One boy was hit on the head and yelled out in pain. Tom yelled at the two bad children. They became scared and ran away, their pets followed. When Tom got closer, he noticed that the person in the tree wasn't a person at all, but instead, a fairy. Tom told the mystical creature not to fear him and that she can go. As he turned to leave, the fairy asked him to wait. Due to his bravery, she wanted to give him a gift. He confessed that the only gift he wanted was his love, but without an army to defeat the king, he could not save her. The fairy told the young man that his army was all around him. He was confused. He was told that his army was found in the forest and that he will fight the king using the forest people. The fairy took out a wand and spun it around. In an instance, all around him began to rise and become humanoids of their former selves. Tom was at awe as he saw tree people, rock people, flower people and water people. He even governed the winds. His army lined up in front of him and knelt. The fairy was not done, well except for one last thing; she healed his injuries and told him to get his bride."

"And did he?...Did he save his love?" Asked a much engulfed Rosita.

"Will you let him finish!" Rupert Demanded.

"Well Rosita, he went to that kingdom with his unstoppable army." Philip continued." The young man's army was proven to be too much for the king's men. The king was defeated, his men vanquished and Emilia was saved." Philip looked over at Kimberly and held her in an embrace.

"Are you the Leader of the forest people, Mr. Blake?" Paul asked.

"Oh come on man!...Don't be silly, you know it's all make believe." Allen mocked.

"Perhaps I am." Philip replied to Paul's question, accompanied with a chuckle. The children began to laugh with him.

"Are we your army?" Michonne inquired in a very low tone.

"Yes…and you are my general." Philip answered with a warm smile. Michonne smiled back. The other children began to ask as well. They all wanted to know their position in Philip's make believe army.

"OK, children settle down." Kimberly said as she stood up. "We all need to sleep. Philip can tell you more stories tomorrow, but for now, its bedtime."

The children were not happy, but they listened and did as Kimberly asked. Everyone entered the bus to sleep.

Philip entered the bus and began to do a head count as the children followed but noticed someone was missing. He walked off the bus to walk back to the place where their camp fire was held; only to see Michonne still sitting by the extinguished fire, staring off in the distance.

"Hey It's bedtime, what are you doing out here?" He kneeled down next to her but she didn't answer him.

"You don't always have to be by yourself" He gently pulled her braids back, noticing that familiar expression on her face. She wanted to say something but her mind completely shut down; something prevented her from thinking about anything. He could tell she was mentally and physically exhausted. Before she could dose off he found a blanket and carefully wrapped her in it and then carried her to the bus.

XXXXXXXXX

"BAM!...CRUSH!...BAM!"

Explosions crudely awoke the inhabitants of the bus. The children pressed themselves against the windows that faced the city of Atlanta. From far, everyone could see the bombs being dropped by military helicopters. Philip, Lenard and Kimberly jumped out of the van to get a better look. Kimberly covered her mouth in shock as tears filled her eyes. Philip held her tight. He looked over at the bus and saw the fear and sorrow displayed on the face of the children. Michonne slowly walked out of the bus and looked towards the destruction. She fell to her knees and wept. She felt a soft touch on her shoulder. When she looked up it was Philip. He knelt down next to her and she hugged him as she cried. She cried for the mother she would never see again.

XXXXXXXX

Days became weeks and the group continued to go as far away from the city as they could. The bus ran out of gas and it was parked deep in the woods where they would come back to in the night. Philip had camping and outdoor experience that he used to find food and keep him and the others safe. Philip and Kimberly became surrogate parents for the children. Lenard continued with them, but his anger and desperation due to their situation made him grow angrier and that also encouraged his sick fixation for Kimberly. Philip was never a man of many means, and living a simple life was easy for him. He taught the children to fish and how to set small traps. Philip would entertain the children with stories of kings, nights and castles to keep their thoughts away from their losses and the uncertainties of their future.

One morning, Andrea went to check on one of the traps and found that there was a rabbit inside. She opened the trap, but the rabbit was able to jump out quickly. She knew that food was scarce so she ran after it. The critter was very quick but she would not let it out of her sight. She ran so fast that she was almost on it when she slipped on wet leaves and fell on her bottom. She looked at the rabbit standing in front of a tree. She cursed at it as she stood up to continue her pursuit.

"SHOOSH!"

An arrow caught the rabbit and pinned it against the tree, killing it. Out of the bushes appeared a boy around Andrea's same age (10). He removed the arrow and took the rabbit. He was about to put in a sack.

"Now, you wait a minute! That's mine!" Andrea shouted as she ran up to the boy. She reached for the rabbit, but he held it away from her.

"Who the hell are you?" The boy inquired as he held the rabbit up.

"You don't need to know who I am. What you should be doing is giving me my food back!" Andrea insisted as she reached for the animal almost knocking the boy over.

"Now, wait a minute!" Shouted a young man with a short military style haircut. He was in his early twenties. He had a rifle and a large hunting knife sheathed attached to his belt. "If ya know wats good, you best be goin' little girl and leave our breakfast alone."

"That's not yours or his." Andrea stated as she pointed towards the boy dramatically. "It's mine and I want it back!" Andrea roared.

"Ya'll far from home lil' girl… go!" The young man demanded as he held the rifle tighter in his grip.

Andrea looked over at the boy who smiled and shrugged his shoulders in defiance. Then she looked over at the young man. She lowered her shoulders and head to indicate defeat as she slightly turned to leave. The boy began to laugh, but stopped when Andrea quickly kicked him in the shin making his bend over in pain and dropping the rabbit. Andrea quickly grabbed the critter and ran. The boy and the young man ran after the girl through the woods. She finally reached the camp grounds where the other kids and Philip were at, preparing what they were able to get for breakfast. Andrea ran towards Philip and hid behind his tall frame.

"What happened?" Philip asked as the girl hid behind him asking for his help. Philip saw the two strangers approaching. He put a hand up towards them. The young man ran up to him and complained about what the girl had done to his brother and taking the rabbit.

"OK, we can talk about this but I ask you to put the weapon down…Please…There are children here." Philip insisted.

"That ain't no damn child…She a lil' devil that hurt my lil' brutha…ain't that right Daryl?" The young man questioned as he looked over at the limping boy. Daryl nodded as he rubbed his leg.

Kimberly came out of the bus to see what was happening. "Hey… Can't I see how bad… The bruise?... I have a first aid kit and I can check that for you."

"Nobody gonna touch muh lil'…"

"Shut up Merle!" Daryl said as he limped over to Kimberly. "This hurts like hell." Daryl sat on a log as Kimberly tended to the bruise.

"Then wat 'bout muh critta?" Merle inquired as he lowered the weapon and looked towards Philip with angry eyes.

"Well, we have other things here. We can all share… You are more than welcomed." Philip stated with a smile.

"I ain't stayin' here…"

"Shut up Merle!...I wouldn't mind some." Daryl interrupted as he looked over at Kimberly who offered him a warm smile. Merle couldn't do anything but huff and curse under his breath.

XXXXXXXX

After breakfast, the children gathered around for another story. Daryl and Merle sat on a log further away, but stayed to listen. It had been weeks since they saw live people. Merle had just returned from his two year deployment with the Marines. Their mother had died many years ago. The father had left Daryl alone in the home for days and still has not been able to be located. He had done it before, every time he met a new woman at a local bar or club. Daryl and Merle were skilled hunters and trackers and chose to live in the woods after the dead overtook their home, making it almost impossible to escape with their lives. They had sustained many years of physical abuse by their father and neglect from their mother and it could be seen in their behavior and interactions with others. Merle wanted to leave, but Daryl wanted to listen to the story and although he didn't want to accept it, he also wanted to be around other children his age. They sat and listened to the stories about the forest people and all the triumphs and victories they were able to achieve together.

The afternoon came quickly and so did hunger. Philip and Kimberly with the help of the children were able to gather some berries and mushrooms, but there were to little for to many people. Mr. Lenard grew angry and continued to look at Philip with disdained eyes. He felt that he would be a much better leader for the group and a better partner for Kimberly. His eyes narrowed as he planned his takeover and rid himself of the story teller. He needed the perfect moment and opportunity.

XXXXXXXX

The day began to get dark and Kimberly gathered what was collected to prepare for the evening meal. Kimberly tried to keep the children occupied by instructing them to read the books they had in their backpacks. Daryl and Merle appeared to have left the camp ground and everything was quiet. They had not even seen walkers for a few days.

The silence and calm of the afternoon quickly shifted when two armed men approached the group. The children quickly ran from where they were seated towards Philip and Kimberly. Philip tried to shield them the best he could. The two men were wearing military style jackets and boots, but their hair was overgrown and they looked dirty and desperate. They looked to be in their mid-thirties. One was Caucasian American (CA) and the other was African American (AA).

"Listen…We don't want to stir up anything, but we need what ya got!...Now!" Demanded the CA as he pointed the gun and waved it around nervously.

"Please…These are just children. You don't need to point a weapon….Please!...We'll give you what you want." Pleaded Philip.

"Are you crazy!...We need the little we have!" Exclaimed a very angry Mr. Lenard.

Philip looked over at him and shook his head with imploring eyes. Philip did not want the men to have an excuse to harm anyone in the camp, especially one of the children.

Kimberly looked at the children discreetly with her eyes and saw that one child was missing. Philip tried to reach in his pocket for his blade but remembered he forgot to grab it earlier. Using limited head movements he looked up and found Michonne in a tree, crouched down on a branch. Before she could attack the intruders she observed her surroundings; figuring out a way to kill two men with one weapon, without making any additional noise. She was Philip's general and she needed to help protect. She pulled out Philip's missing knife. She stood up and prepared to jump down to the ground when she caught him looking in her direction. She nodded her head to confirm her plan with him; but he shook his head no, informing her to stay put.

"Where's Michonne?" Kimberly whispered quietly to Philip.

"Shut up!...Now give us everythin' you got." Commanded the AA as he threw two duffle bags on the floor and pointed to the bags. Philip nodded and took the little they gathered and placed it in the bags. They also insisted on the blankets, flashlights and other essential things that they had and needed. As swiftly as the robbers entered, they left.

The day grew darker and silence was more profound. The children gathered around the camp fire with Philip.

Michonne sat on his knee and huddled under him since she didn't have her blanket. Surprisingly for his build he conserved body heat well. Before she got to comfortable he needed to talk to her about earlier. Even though he's fascinated by her stealth abilities he had to consider what would have happened if the intruders got ahold of her.

"What were you thinking?" He gently took the blade out of her hand that she still held onto.

"I'm the general, I was doing my job" She responded.

"Not by yourself. Is that why you stole my blade"

"I needed a weapon. When I saw the intruders approaching the camp I had nothing but a flimsy stick. I looked around and found your blade next to one of the bags"

"I'm the leader and you're the general, that means we're a team. We make decisions together, okay?" He smiled, wrapping his arm around her to keep the body heat close. She nodded and relaxed her head on his shoulder. From far, Mr. Lenard stared and hated the man that appeared weak.

Mr. Lenard insisted on following the robbers, but Philip did not want to venture in the night without equipment and he mostly did not want to leave his wife and the kids without protection.

The following morning Philip and the kids were greeted to a roll of squirrels on a fishing rod string. Daryl Dixon brought it.

"I hope ya don't mind eatin' some squirrel? … They ain't half bad." Explained the boy as he shrugged his shoulders. He looked over at his brother who stood with his arms crossed and shaking his head. "Yeah, mah bruther said we should keep 'em, but I saw what happened last night. I was comin' over to hear another story and hid behind them trees over there… Sorry, I didn't do somethin' to help ya." Added the boy as he looked down with guilt in his eyes.

Philip smiled and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Son, you have done enough…thank you."

Philip gratefully accepted the offerings and walked towards the fire pit to prepare the meal. Mr. Lenard approached him.

"Listen, I still feel we must do something. We can't just stay here and wait for some other assholes to come and take more from us!" Mr. Lenard asserted.

"I understand what you are saying…And you are right about doing something to protect ourselves, but we must come up with a plan collectively. We cannot let our emotions govern our thinking… We have to make a solid plan and protect these children." Philip stated as he tried to reason with the angry man. He even tried to offer a warm smile, but noticed that it was not going to help ease the stress the man was visibly in at the moment.

"The children?...How about Kimberly?...What about Penny?" Mr. Lenard snarled as he looked Philip in his eyes. Philip was much taller than Mr. Lenard but that did not deter him from trying to intimidate him with his eyes.

"I am thinking about my family!...I will do anything for them!...Anything!" Philip felt himself becoming angry. An anger that he had never felt before. He stopped and closed his eyes to control his feelings and think. He opened his eyes and looked upon Mr. Lenard once again. "I understand what you are saying, but the children do not have their families. They have us and they rely on us to keep them safe… Right now, they are my family too."

"You just don't get it do you?...Do you think you are some kind of politician? A governor perhaps?" Mr. Lenard shook his head and snickered. "This world is changing and that means there are new rules. You cannot protect everyone. You have to protect the ones that matter the most to you. And when I say protect, I don't mean reason with the ones that will bring harm. I mean eliminate the threat… Right now, the way I see it. The rules have become very simple. In this new world… You either kill or you die…"

"Phillip!" Kimberly yelled from the school bus door.

Philip ran to the direction of his wife. "What is it?" He asked, but could see that his daughter was laying down on one of the bus seating.

"It's her diabetes medication. She had it in her bag with her flashlight. They took her medication…She can't…Philip!" cried Kimberly.

Philip looked around and felt the heat running to his temple. His heart began to pound. He could hear his wife cry, but it was more as an echo as he tried to gather his thoughts and figure out what he could do.

"There's a pharmacy not too far from here." Merle shared.

"Please show us!" Philip bellowed.

Merle saw the desperation in Philip's eyes. Merle nodded and started to walk.

"Wait!...Wait for me too!" Yelled Kimberly as she gathered a bag to go with the men.

"Honey, you should stay here with penny." Philip said trying to convince his wife to stay with the ill child.

"I can't…I have been giving her the medicine since she was diagnosed. I was trained by her nurse in case of an emergency and I know what to get. If they do not have her brand I will look for whatever is closes.

Philip did not want to argue with his wife who had a point. Mr. Lenard insisted on going as well. He stated that he needed to find medicine for his skin allergies and asked Edwin to accompany him. Michonne and Daryl went along with the group. The rest of the children were left with Dale, the bus driver. He had become a trusting friend to Philip and Kimberly.

XXXXXXX

Philip and the rest of the group arrived to the location of the pharmacy. There were other abandoned stores and homes in the area. Philip, Kimberly, Edwin and Mr. Lenard entered the pharmacy. Merle, Daryl and Michonne decided to check around the area for things they may need.

Michonne, Daryl and Merle checked a local bookstore. It was quite apparent that the inhabitants of the establishment were gone. Further investigation led Michonne upstairs to a one-bedroom apartment. The person that lived there was a Japanese art enthusiast. The collection of art and furniture was massive and untouched. Michonne took unopened bottles of water, can goods and other useful items. When she opened the closet door she saw clothes that belonged to a male. She took what she could in her backpack. She thought that they could come in handy. When she was about to close the closet door, something that was concealed in a corner fell in front of her. It was in a long black bag. She opened it to find a sheathed sword. Due to her travels with her father to Japan, she knew it was a katana. Michonne slowly took the sword out of its scabbard and smiled as she glared at the shiny sharp metal

Examining it further there was a deeply engraved kanji at the bottom of the blade. Looking at the lines she closed her eyes and tried to remember the last time she saw this symbol, but it brought up a memory of when she visited a Koi pond with her father. She remembered her father saying that Koi fish were strong and knew how to overcome obstacles.

XXXXXXX

"Philip, go get as many things we may need for the children. Now that we are here. It is better to be safe than sorry." Kimberly assumed. After securing the pharmacy and making sure there were no walkers or any other kind of threat, Philip did as Kimberly suggested and ventured to the other parts of the large pharmacy.

Mr. Lenard looked around to find anything that he thought would be useful. He was accompanied by Edwin. In a backroom, there was a locked door. Mr. Lenard ordered Edwin to open it. When Edwin opened the door, a person fell out. Edwin jumped back, but it was quickly revealed that the person was already dead. It appeared that the person had gotten bitten and locked himself in the closet, but panicked and shot himself in the head, thus not turning into a walker. The small hand gun lay on the floor near the body's feet. Mr. Lenard quickly took the gun and saw it had a couple of bullets. The dead body also had a knife and Edwin took it. Mr. Lenard heard Kimberly rummaging through the shelves in the back of the pharmacy. He looked at Edwin and smiled.

XXXXXXXX

"OK…I think I found it. We have to rush back. There isn't much time…" Kimberly turned to see Mr. Lenard and Edwin standing there staring at her. She thought it was Philip. She smiled at first, but her smile quickly turned to a look of concern because of their unnerving stare. She had seen Mr. Lenard stare at her like that before, as if he was undressing her with his eyes. It was a stare that convinced her to give in her two week notice. In her current predicament, a two week notice was not going to be helpful.

"Mr. Lenard… Where's Philip?" Kimberly asked as she looked around.

"Why?...Probably looking for insignificant things…Something stupid for those brats." Mr. Lenard proceeded to take some steps closer to her. "Instead of keeping an eye on what is more important." Mr. Lenard continued as he looked her up and down.

"I got to find Philip and the others and we have to get back… Penny…"

"Shut up!" Mr. Lenard interrupted Kimberly. He brandished his new found weapon. "We are not going back. You are coming with me."

"This is what I was able to…" Philip entered the scene without knowing what was happening at first. He didn't finish what he was saying when he saw his startled wife against the shelves and Mr. Lenard with a gun pointed at her. Mr. Lenard looked at Edwin who took out his weapon and quickly pointed the knife at Philip who raised his arms and looked over at his wife.

"What is going on here?... Please put that down. Let's just talk about it." Philip stated as he looked at the two armed men and then his scared wife. He tried to give her a soft smile to calm her, but it was difficult as he saw tears falling down her face.

"Always the politician." Mocked Mr. Lenard as he shook his head in disgust. "Haven't you gotten it yet?...The rules have changed. We don't negotiate. We do what we want. Stop trying to be a politician. What do you think? That you can change everything and make it like it was? You are not the governor of Georgia... Wake up…Like I told you. In this life, you either kill or you die."

Mr. Lenard pointed his gun towards Philip. Before he could pull the trigger, Kimberly jumped in front of him and fought with him. Mr. Lenard pushed her off with such force that as she moved back, his gun went off and shot her in the head. Her lifeless body fell to the floor.

"Nooooooooo!" Philip yelled. He tried to leap towards his wife but found himself struggling with Edwin. Philip lost his footing and that gave Edwin the upper hand he needed. He started striking at Philip cutting him a few times. Philip had his arms up in a defensive mode as he anticipated a final strike. Edwin stood over him.

"Ahhhhh!" Edwin screamed and blood gushed out of his mouth spraying on Philip's face and upper chest area. Philip could see what appeared to be a blade sticking out of Edwin's body and then the man falling to the floor. Mr. Lenard saw the Dixon brothers approaching and that was enough for him. As Michonne struggled to remove the sword from Edwin's body, Philip ran to check his wife; Mr. Lenard took the opportunity to flee the scene unnoticed.

Philip was covered in his and Edwin's blood. Philip sat next to his lifeless Kimberly. He gently pulled her body to his lap and embraced her as he cried out loud. Michonne was finally able to remove the sword. The Dixon brothers looked away from the scene as they heard the cries become louder. Suddenly, Edwin's body began to move. It began to crawl towards Philip. He didn't move as he held his wife.

"Mr. Blake…Mr. Blake!" Michonne called out. But Philip didn't react.

"Swoosh!" An arrow to the head stopped the walker from attacking, thanks to Daryl.

Michonne walked up close to Philip and stood over him.

"Mr. Blake… We have to go…Penny." Michonne said as she looked at the destroyed man. He looked at the child and swallowed hard. He nodded. He gently placed his wife's body on the floor and kissed her on the lips. He stood, grabbed her bag and walked out the door. He thought to himself that he would return later to retrieve her for a proper burial.

XXXXXXXXX

Philip and the others finally returned. He told Michonne not to say anything to Penny until she recovered completely. Once they entered the camp grounds Philip saw Dale and the other children sitting on the logs where they do the camp fires and tell the stories. Their heads were down and crying. They were all in such a melancholy state that only Dale approached Philip to ask him about the blood on his clothing and where was Kimberly and the others that left earlier. Philip did not want to address it at the moment. He needed to get to Penny as soon as possible. Philip looked over at Dale who quickly stood in front of him, extended his hands forward then shook his head and then looked at the school bus. Philip felt that he could not breathe. He looked over at the bus and could see someone walking around inside.

"Philip…don't…she…she didn't make it." Dale hesitated. It was too difficult for him to say. He did not want to tell Philip that Penny had died.

Philip pushed Dale's arm away and walked slowly to the bus. As he got closer, he felt his feet dragging and his heart pounding. He could hear the moans and growling. He was at the door when she slammed her head against it. He placed his head against the door from the outside simultaneously. He wept as the bag with her medicine fell from his grasp on to the muddy ground.

 **_0_**

 **More to come…..**

 **Thanks for reading**


	3. You kill or you die

You kill or you die….

The night had fallen on the survivors. Philip sat on the ground with his back against the bus. Penny continued to hit the door from the inside trying to gain an exit. The children were silent siting on the logs. Dale would look over at Philip who had a blank look on his tear stained face. He simply sat there looking away, but at nothing in particular. Michonne looked over at Philip and then at the children who began to talk over each other due to confusion, hunger and fear.

"What are we gonna do?...Where is Kimberly?" Mickey asked.

"I'm scared…What's wrong with Mr. Blake?" Rosita inquired.

"I'm hungry!" Rupert exclaimed.

Every one of the children had a complaint or a concern that they wanted to address. Dale tried to quiet them down, fearing that they could attract unwanted visitors, dead or alive. The children would not listen to Dale and continued as their voices became louder while their despair grew. Michonne looked at what was happening and stood up.

"Enough!" She shouted. "We will do what is needed to stay alive."

"Where's Kimberly?" Milton questioned.

Michonne looked at him and the others. "She's not coming back…Never again." The children gasped and then fell silent. "Mr. Blake is not doing to good either…So, we have to find our own food and do what we can in the morning…OK?" Michonne looked at the children. They looked at her from where they were seated and then each other. The children placed their gazes once again on Michonne and began to nod in agreement.

Michonne suddenly turned when she heard movement in the bushes. She reached for her katana when the two men that had robbed them a few nights ago appeared once again.

"Nice lil speech lil girl." Said the Caucasian man. "I think I like what you got there a little more." The man said as he pointed to her sword.

"To bad…You can't have it." Michonne declared with authority as she tried to unsheathe it.

"Now, you should know better than that." The man said as he took out a gun and pointed it at her. "You lil brats can't do anythin'. Don't forget, we are the ones with real weapons."

"So, give us what you guys got. We know you went into town, we saw ya." The African American Male stated.

Michonne looked at the other children and saw scare faces, she proceeded to look down and took a deep breath. She looked at the man with the gun. "No!" She yelled.

The Caucasian male became so irate that he pointed the gun at Michonne's head.

"Swoosh!" An arrow pierced through his right hand rendering it helpless. The man inadvertently dropped his weapon and screamed in agony. The other man tried to retrieve his gun, but he felt something hard hit him on the side of his head. He fell face first to the ground then he turned to see a huge rock striking him again and then again. It was Philip, he continued to hit the man until his head was a flat mess of bone matter and brains all over the ground. Philip was breathing heavy, covered with more blood than earlier. He stood from where he was attacking the man and approached the other one.

"No…No!... Please!" The Caucasian man begged, but his pleads went on deaf ears. Philip struck him on the head and ended his life in the same way as he had done to the other man. Philip looked over at the children and then at a very shocked Dale. Philip dropped the rock and picked up the gun that had fallen on the ground that belonged to one of the dead intruders.

He walked back towards the bus. He was about to open the door, but turned to look at the children again.

"This world has changed and so will we. We will learn to live off the land." He looked at Michonne. "We will learn to fight, make our own weapons and protect ourselves. We will conceal ourselves from the dead and show the living that we are not to be hunted or robbed…or killed."

Philip looked around at all the children. "I know you are young, but you will need to grow up…Now! We are many…an army. We will no longer be afraid."

"An army?... Like the forest people?" Allen asked.

Philip looked at the boy and swallowed hard. He saw the innocence that will need to become nothing more than a distant memory in order to survive the new world that they inherited. Philip nodded.

"Children look around…That is who we are, but remember this." Philip sighed as he looked at his gun and heard his zombie daughter hitting the door of the bus in the background. "The number one lesson to be learned… You kill or you die."

Philip turned, lifted the gun, opened the door and pulled the trigger.

XXXXXXXX

 _Five years passed…_

A pick-up truck drove up and parked near a camp ground where there are half a dozen RVs people are using as homes. There were people sitting near a camp fire cooking some fish. Out of the truck appeared a few men with their hunting rifles and bags filled with items from their latest run. The last man jumped out of the bed of the truck. It was Mr. Lenard. He took his bag, said his goodnight to his buddies and walked over to his RV that he shared with his girlfriend. A woman he had met three years earlier on a run. He entered, found her in the kitchenette area and gently grabed her in a loving embrace from behind.

"I missed you." She said as she turned to kiss him.

"I missed you too. We just got a few things, but I think you would like this." He pulled out a music box. He opened it, and it played soft music with a very small pink ballerina turning in circles. She smiled and looked up at him and they kissed.

"You're so good to me." The woman said as she gently palmed his face.

Mr. Lenard smiled. "I love you Steph."

XXXXXXXX

It was a quiet night. The comfortably cool air made it very easy to fall into a deep sleep. Mr. Lenard lay in bed with his right arm wrapped around his girlfriend. A light tapping on the window stir Stephanie from her slumber. She looked towards the noise at the window, but could not see anything. She sat up and nudged Mr. Lenard with her elbow to wake him. He reluctantly did so, but since he didn't see anything either he told her to go back to sleep. A minute later the taping continued. Stephanie had become so concerned that she was going to check on her own. Mr. Lenard stopped her and decided to check on her behalf, in case it was a walker that could have snuck into the camp undetected. Mr. Lenard got his weapon and opened the door slowly. He went outside and checked around the RV. He could not see anything, not even footprints. He returned to the front door and opened it.

"What is it?" Stephanie asked as she stood inside looking at Mr. Lenard from the door frame.

"It's nothing, maybe the wind or some critter making noise." He said as he was about to walk in. His right hand touched the door frame, but something wet stopped him. He looked down on his hand and saw a red substance that looked like blood. He looked on the door frame to see strange markings. Mr. Lenard opened his eyes wide, his heartbeat began to race and sweat started to fill his brow, hearing the sounds of rustling leaves getting closer. He looked at Stephanie who stood with a confused look.

"Steph!...We got to…." Before Lenard could finish what he was saying, he felt a sharp pain on the back of his head. Everything turned dark.

XXXXXXXXX

"Is he awake?" A voice whispered.

"Looks like he's waking up now." Another voice whispered.

Mr. Lenard slowly opened his eyes. He was in the middle of the camp, slumped against a log. He could not see anyone despite hearing voices earlier. In front of him was a small camp fire. He tried to move, but he quickly noticed that he was tied up. He fussed with the rope and felt someone next to him. He turned to see that Stephanie was lying on the ground next to him. Mr. Lenard cried out to her but she didn't move or respond. He looked around and called for help, but there was nobody around. The other RVs were on fire. From far, he could see people from the camp on the ground, lifeless. He continued to call out to Stephanie, but did not get a response. He became silent when he heard someone walking towards him as dried leaves crunched under the person's feet. In the darkness appeared a figure. Mr. Lenard looked upon the person with wide eyes. Mr. Lenard's skin tone became very white and he swallowed hard.

"Hello there Lenard… You OK? Looks like you've seen a ghost." The man said.

"Phi…Philip, is that you?" Mr. Lenard asked although it was difficult to speak out of sheer freight. Philip stood before him in dark clothing. His hair was much longer than he last saw him and there were visible scars on his face. Despite his many changes there was one that brought a shiver down Lenard's spine. It was Philip's stare that was calm, direct and menacing.

"So nice, you didn't forget me. Yes it is, although I am known by many names, now. But I have to tell you that I liked the one you called me once…Let's see, what was it?... Oh yes, the Governor. Has a nice ring to it don't you think?" Philip asked with a side smirk.

"Please Phillip…It was an accident…" Mr. Lenard stopped pleading when he saw other figures emerge from the darkness. It appeared as if they were part of the elements that surrounded the wooded area around the camp. They stood at either side of Philip and stared at Mr. Lenard. Some wore masks. The ones that wore the masks removed them and Mr. Lenard could see that they were the children that have grown to adolescents.

"Please children…Help me, please." Mr. Lenard pleaded, but the witnesses did not speak nor did they show any emotions.

"You see Lenard, I was an educator for many years. I taught a lot of children throughout those years. I actually loved it and I thought I was good at it, but I think you've got me beat." Philip looked to the ground when he saw Stephanie's fingers begin to twitch. "You taught me something very important about this new world." 

"What do you mean?" Mr. Lenard questioned. He looked at Stephanie and called out to her. He stopped when he heard the familiar sounds of growls and moans coming from her. He looked up at Phillip. "What did you do to her?"

"You taught me that in this new world, 'you kill or you die.'" Philip stated. He watched as Stephanie awkwardly pushed her upper body up and turned her head to Mr. Lenard, revealing that she was gone and turned into a walker. "So I return the favor Lenard. You were right, 'you kill or you die' or 'you die and you kill.'" Philip turned to leave into the darkness.

Stephanie lunged on Mr. Lenard and proceeded to take bites out of the screaming man. Philip's people slowly disappeared into the darkness. One person stood and watched as Mr. Lenard cried out. It was Michonne, she looked down, placed her mask on and swiftly disappeared in the cool night.

XXXXXXXXX

 _Present day…._

"Swishhhh." A splash of water to the face had awoken Michonne. Michonne looked around frantically trying to see where she was. She quickly noticed that she was in a strange place. It looked to be some decrepit cabin of some sort and that her arms were tied up and her feet were also bound together. She was in a sitting position in a corner of the room. She searched for her weapon and saw that it was at the far corner to her left. She roughly moved around as much as she could, trying desperately to set herself free but found it impossible. She also noticed that she had a wound to her left leg and that someone had covered it.

"Hey!" It was a male voice. She looked up to see a man standing in front of her with a small bucket and water leaking from it. It was Rick. Feeling the water drip down her bare skin she realized her mask was gone, her identity was revealed. She struggled again to get out of her restraints. But found it hard and painful. "What do you want?...Why did you attack us?" Rick asked.

Michonne would not speak. She looked away and shook her head.

"Listen, I don't know why you and your people came to destroy what we had. To be honest, right now all I want is to find my family. I need you to tell me who ordered this and if they took them?" Rick inquired. Michonne continued to look away without saying a word. "I'm sorry about the water, but you wouldn't wake up. The beam hit you pretty hard. I had to tie you up, obviously… Listen, I need information, I need to find my family."

Michonne finally turned to him and smiled as she shook her head and shrug her shoulders in a mockery way. Rick knew that time was of the essence.

"Please… I need to find my family. I need to know if they are alright." Rick pleaded as he dropped the bucket to the ground. Michonne looked away. Frustration began to set in as Rick ran his right hand through his hair. He looked at the defiant prisoner and pinched the bridge of his nose. He nodded to himself, looked at her and walked up to where she was. He bent down, reached for her leg, hesitated for a second and then continued and pressed hard on her wound.

Michonne turned her head and looked at him, but didn't make a sound. Michonne breathed in deeply. Rick let go, but the guilt of what he had done was evident on his face. Once Rick let go, Michonne let go of the air and closed her eyes tightly. Rick turned and took a few steps away from her. He looked at his hand and saw blood. He shook his head, hating what he had just done.

"Please…I didn't want to do that. Who sent you?" Rick probed again. He didn't receive an answer. Rick formed his hands into fists, took a deep breath and turned. He walked up to Michonne and reached for her leg.

"Touch me again, and I swear I will fucking kill you farmer!" Michonne yelled.

"So you can speak." Rick assumed as he retracted his hand he leaned down to be eye level with Michonne. He looked at her tied hands and feet. "Are you sure you should be threatening me? You're the one tied up."

"I might be tied up, but you're the one that will let your guard down." Michonne asserted as they kept eye contact.

"Is that right?" Rick leaned in to assert his authority among the two. Michonne did not falter.

"I know who you are and what you are…and what you are not capable of, Farmer. You think you have me, you think you can make the hard choices. You think you can do it, but you can't."

"How do you know that?"

"Because you didn't kill me. We destroyed everything, but you didn't kill me. That is how I know." Michonne's words were direct, strong and true. Rick looked away and took some steps back as he nodded to himself.

"You think you have me figured out, but whoever goes between me and my family is goin' to lose!" Rick declared as she walked up to Michonne and leaned in again. He was determined to show her that he was serious and not afraid.

Michonne turned her head and laughed, but when she gazed at him again she could see the sincerity and willpower in his face. Her laughter ceased as she continued to study his presence and his features. He had some scratches on his face due to the explosions the previous night, but she could see that he was actually very handsome. Despite his evident despair and anger, there was something gentle and alluring about his eyes. She continued to look at him and then her eyes focused on his nose, the little facial growing, and his mouth. There was something else about him, something familiar, but she couldn't recall.

"Maybe we can help each other out?" Rick asked taking Michonne out of her trance over his looks.

"What?...What do you mean?...How?" Michonne enquired.

"I can negotiate with your people. I bring you to them and they let my family go." Rick answered.

"You don't get it Farmer. They didn't take your family. We don't take prisoners."

"Then why come to our community? We didn't do anything to you!" Rick insisted.

Michonne shook her head. "Farmer, we didn't start this. Your people took something from… We need it back!"

"We took something?" Rick suddenly remembered Shane's words, when he confessed about taking something. Rick looked away as the memory lingered in his mind. Michonne looked at the pondering man as he rubbed his forehead and sighed deeply.

"What is it Farmer?" Michonne probed, knowing something was unfolding in his mind.

Rick nodded to himself and then turned his head to face Michonne once again. "Maybe we can help each other after all."

 **_0_**

 **Wow! They seem to be in completely opposite sides of the spectrum. Do you think they can actually work together without killing each other? LOL  
We will see. What do you think so far?**

 **Thanks for reading**


	4. Putting your trust in a stranger

**Putting your trust in a stranger…**

 _10 years earlier…._

Two pick-up trucks pulled up into the empty parking lot of a huge warehouse. Once the trucks were parked and the ignition was turned off, the doors opened and people began to come out. There were ten people, a group of six men and four women. They were armed and looked around cautiously. Six years had passed since the unexplained outbreak that claimed so many lives and also resulted in the same dead people to stand up and consume the living.

Rick was one of the people that came out of the trucks. He was nineteen and was accompanying his father. They had settled in a secluded location away from the mayhem, but needed supplies. Rick and his father wanted to be part of the group, because they were desperate to find medicine for Brett, Rick's younger brother. It was a severe case of the flu that claimed many lives including Rick's mother. Rick and his father wanted to make sure that Brett did not meet his demise as well.

Rick's father walked up to Rick and placed a caring hand on his shoulder. "Son, you okay?"

Rick looked at his father and saw the concern in his eyes that squinted with the brightness of the Georgia son. Rick was some inches taller than his father and stronger than him. Rick looked at the man that appeared to have aged drastically in a few years, perhaps due to all the unexpected changes, especially the loss of his wife. Despite having a better physical advantage than his father, he still looked up to him and listened to what he had to say.

Rick nodded and gave his father a small smile. They did not like to venture away from the settlement that was safe. They knew that the undead were lurking and ready to leap on the living at any opportunity. They also knew that they must likewise fear the living.

"Son, we do not know what we're gonna find out here…Keep your weapon ready… But only pull the trigger if needed." Rick's father said as he pulled his colt from the holster and checked the bullets. Rick mimicked his father's behavior. The other people followed suit and removed their sacks from the bed of the trucks. Rick's father was the local sheriff in their town before the outbreak. He was also a natural born leader and people tended to follow him instinctively.

"So, we just want to go in quick and get what is needed and get out." Rick's father looked at the people who were attentive to every word. They were of different ages and races. The youngest in the group was Rick and his close friend Shane.

Rick's father dispersed the people in twos. Rick wanted to explore with Shane, but his father insisted that Rick stayed with him as Shane accompanied another older adult. Rick was very calm and always very thoughtful about acting, but Shane was more impulsive and they were far from their familiar elements.

They entered the warehouse and looked around. Much of what was housed in the twelve thousand square feet plus facility was already scavenged, but that didn't deter Rick and his people on their quest. The smell of dirty water and walker flesh hit his nose, causing him to feel slightly nauseated. His father insisted that they continued although Connor and Shemp, two men in their mid-forties, felt that the exploration was a bust and wanted to head back to the settlement.

"Listen, we did not come out this far for nothing. We need to get medicine and whatever else we can find that will help our people!" Mr. Grimes bellowed.

"There's nothing out here!...You're insisting on something that's gonna get us all killed!" Shemp countered. Shemp turned to walk away and Connor followed.

"Yeah, it's not enough that he let his wife die; now he wants us to do the same for a lost cause." Shemp mocked as he walked side by side with Conner. Shemp abruptly stopped when he heard the clicking of a revolver behind him.

"What did you say?" Mr. Grimes growled through gritted teeth. Shemp slowly turned around to face Mr. Grimes' colt and an angry look right behind the weapon. Shemp raised his hands and shook his head as he plead with the man not to shoot.

"Dad!...Don't!" Rick ran next to his father and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Remember what you always say…We don't kill the livin'" Rick slowly placed his hand on his father's hand that held the gun and lowered it.

"Right…we don't." Mr. Grimes sighed deeply and holstered his weapon. He looked at the other people that stopped what they were doing to watch the display between the men. "We have thirty minutes to find what we can and go…now move out!" Mr. Grimes walked up to Shemp. "You can help and look or you can go back to the truck. I actually don't give two shits what you do but…don't you ever mention my wife or family again. Is that clear?" Shemp nodded quickly as he looked down. Mr. Grimes was a very gentle and fair man, but he also had another side to him. He was also very protective of the people he loved and his intimidating stare was a vivid warning not to cross him or his loved ones. Mr. Grimes walked away to check a portion of the warehouse before heading back. Connor and Shemp walked back out to the truck.

XXXXXXXXXXX

They were driving back without much. The worst thing was that there was no medicine at all. As they were driving back, two trucks caught flats and the day was getting darker. They were driving off the main roads trying to avoid scavengers and other dangerous people that might try to hurt them. They stopped the trucks in the woods for repair. Mr. Grimes wanted to get them back as soon as possible, but it was too late and he knew they needed rest. They set up camp and took shifts watching for danger as some ate and slept. Rick and Shane were given one of the later shifts as Rick insisted that his father rested noticing that he desperately needed it.

Rick looked up at the stars and loved how dark, quiet and beautiful it was. During such a chaotic moment it was all so soothing. He closed his eyes and listened to the sound of the crickets chirping. His mind was finally able to wander freely without the sound of walkers filling his ears.

"Hey…ya dad okay?" Shane interrupted the silence as he walked up to Rick with his weapon hanging on a strap across his chest.

"Yeah…He's been through a lot with mom, now Brett." Rick replied with a slight shrug of his shoulders. He knew his father was strong, but he worried for him.

"Yeah, but those assholes had no damn right sayin' what they did…I wanted to shoot them myself. Ms. Grimes was like a mother to me too."

"Believe me brother, I wanted to kick their asses, but dad's right. We can't go killin' off the livin'. There's more of them than us and we need to conserve what we got. "

Shane shrugged his shoulders. He understood what Rick and his father were saying, but he didn't want to allow abuse either. They stood in silence until a growling sound ended it. It wasn't a walker or an animal in the woods. It was Shane's stomach. He had not eaten in a while and his stomach was begging for some attention.

"Wow! That was loud…Talk about waking the dead!" Rick laughed. Shane had no choice but to laugh with him. "Go get somethin' to quiet that monster inside you."

"Nah man…I can't leave you alone on watch." Shane did not want to budge from his post.

"Listen, I'm okay. Just get something to eat quick and then come back…Oh while ya at it, bring me something before I start soundin' just as sad." Rick looked out for Shane like if he was a brother and Shane did the same for him. Shane did not want to leave, but his hunger was to over powering. He ran the direction towards the area where the can goods were opened and being served.

Rick continued to enjoy the cool air and the quiet night. Despite living in a zombie apocalypse, the night was serene and peaceful. Another soft breeze past through. It was so pleasant that Rick closed his eyes for a second, but they were quickly opened when he heard something move deep within the woods. He had his rifle to the side but quickly brought it up and pointed towards the noise. He looked to the camp, but turned when he heard the noise again. He knew that he should summon the others, but he thought that perhaps it was a slow walker or an animal. He walked into the woods to investigate. He took slow gentle steps as he walked deeper into the woods and away from the camp. He kept his rifle aimed and followed the noise. He noticed that as he walked the noise changed to running water. He didn't know how much he had walked, but had found a creek past the trees. He knelt and touched the water that was cool. He rose to his feet in a second when he heard another noise. He hid between trees with his weapon raised. His eyes grew wide as he lowered his weapon. At the end of the creek stood a girl around sixteen in age, thin build, dark brown skin, long dread locks and what appeared to be a sword across her back. She knelt down and cupped water with her hand and then poured it on the back of her neck. She proceeded to do the same but then poured some on her face. Rick looked at the display and tilted his head.

" _Who is she?...What is she doing out here alone?"_ Rick thought to himself. He didn't know if he should approach her or go back and tell the others or just stare. She turned her head slightly towards his direction and he moved in deeper between the trees that concealed him. She was just getting another angle of her neck to wash. He was able to get a better view of her face. He could see her dark brown eyes and her long eye lashes. He could see her luscious full lips. He swallowed deeply and smiled.

"Wow!" He whispered softly.

She took what appeared to be a piece of cloth and drenched it with the water. She squeezed the excess water and placed it to her side. She bent over and swung her dreads forward to prevent water from dripping onto her top. Rick let go a deep sigh, fascinated by the amazing view of the mysterious woman's backside. She reached under the hem of her tank top and removed it. Underneath was a pink bra.

" _Whaaaaat?"_ Rick thought to himself. He started to think that he was dreaming. The past six years felt like a nightmare, but now he thought he was finally having the best dream ever. He felt sweat beginning to form on his forehead. He could also feel his jeans getting tighter. He could see her pick up the piece of cloth and rub it against her bare skin. Her eyes were closed and her head was tilt back. Rick let go a deep sigh. He closed his eyes and shook his head. Although, he enjoyed the display, he didn't want to keep looking at her from far without her knowledge. " _My father taught me to be a man_." Rick told himself. He was about to walk up to her.

"Rick!...Rick… ya out there?" It was Shane shouting from far. Rick turned towards the voice and then turned his head at where the mysterious girl was, near the creek. She was gone. He ran to where he saw her, but did not find a trace of her existence.

"Dammit!" Rick kicked some rocks on the ground, shook his head. After taking a deep breath he shook his head again and walked into the woods.

Rick felt something blocking his legs causing him to fall to the ground. He almost fell face first, but put his hand in front of him. He quickly turned and someone was hovering over him. He tried to reach for his rifle but the person held his left hand down with her left foot and out stretched firm leg. He tried to move, but cool steel was across his throat and she slowly leaned in close. He stopped fussing and looked into her deep brown eyes.

"Did you enjoy the view?" She stated and Rick swallowed hard.

Rick could not move and decided not to struggle to much as he felt the cool steal against his skin on the side of his neck. Despite his predicament he could not ignore how close she was and how pleasing she was to behold. Her look was determined, serious and deadly but still very alluring and sensual. There was even a slight hint of mint coming from her that was soothing to his senses. He wanted to say something but despite being attracted to her he was also scared to open his mouth. Water dripped down from her dreads onto his shirt. This was the only close contact he ever had with a woman.

"Rick!...Brother, you out here?!" Shane shouted. His words became clearer as his steps got closer. Rick's eyes rolled up searching the voice as the rest of his body stated in the same position. His vision once again fell upon the mysterious girl.

"I…wasn't goin' to hurt you." He felt the sword press a little more and felt a slight pinch.

"Then why were you out here?" She inquired in a very low tone, almost a whisper.

"My people and I need supplies…We need medicine. My brother is very sick… I didn't mean to stare. I'm sorry." Rick didn't want to make any sudden movements that may prompt the girl to feel threatened and subsequently shorten his life.

"Medicine?" She asked. Suddenly Rick felt some distance between his skin and the sword.

"Yes…My dad, me and some people from my settlement needs medicine… My brother is very sick. We lost my mom… We can't lose him too." The girl looked into Rick's eyes and saw it become glassy as he mentioned his mother. She removed her foot from his hand and slowly moved off him. Rick sat up cautiously and rubbed his wrist. He heard a much closer Shane call out to him again. Rick looked towards the direction of his friend's calls then turned his head to look at the girl.

"Don't worry, he's just my…." She was gone before he fully turned to face her again. He stood up to look around.

"Rick! Man, I was worried sick! What happened?" Shane placed a caring hand on Rick's shoulder.

"I…I saw a…" Rick stammered. He could not put into words what just happened. Shane saw his rifle on the ground and picked it up and handed it back to its owner.

"What's that on your neck?" Shane pointed at a think cut on his neck. "Got cut by a branch or something?"

"A cut?" Rick touched the area. There was a quick sting once he passed his fingers over it. "No… it was a girl.

"A girl?... Out here? Alone?" Shane looked around in the darkness and then looked at his friend and laughed. "No girl will be out here in the middle of the night alone." Shane chuckled and shook his head.

"Shane, she ain't like any girl I ever seen… There's just somethin' about her and she's so…beautiful." Rick couldn't help a small smirk leave his lips.

"Ya know what I see?... I see a friend in need of a girl, like quick. You probably think ya saw somethin' and it's just that ya hormones are playin' tricks on ya. Besides, we have to head back. We shouldn't be this far out here ourselves. Let's head back … I think, when we get back home you should try to talk to McMillan's daughter…What's her name?... Oh yeah, Lori. She's cute."

Rick took a deep breath, shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. He nodded to himself and tilted his head. "Yeah brother, you're right… let's head back before dad can't fine us and start to worry." He knew that Shane would not believe the erotic experience he just had.

Shane nodded and started on his way back with his weapon drawn. Rick took a few minutes to look around. He knew he was not making things up and he knew he wasn't dreaming, although she could have perfectly fit in one. He wished that he could see her again and most importantly prove to his friend that she existed, but he figured her quickness to flee stated she did not want to be seen by others. He took a few steps towards their camp when he stepped on something. When he looked at his feet he saw what appeared to be a small piece of cloth. He picked it up and as he examined it, it gave a slight hint of mint. It was the cloth the mysterious girl used to bathe with. He smiled and tucked in his pocket and went on his way. Little did he know, she was watching everything from the tree above him. She crouched down, concealed within the branches and watched as he left.

XXXXXXXXX

"Rick!...You can't believe this buddy!" Shane shook Rick from his slumber as he laid in one of the trucks.

"What the hell?" Rick's arms were waving around as he tried to focus on his friend.

"There's some kind of Urgent Care Clinic not too far from here. We're goin' to go check it out!" Shane stated with wide eyes and with an even wider grin.

"But how do we know it exists?" Rick questioned as he got out of the truck to follow his friend.

"Your dad found a map. Funny thing is, the map was not there yesterday, or at least it was too dark to tell that it was there. He found it early this morning close to one of the trucks…Rick, this is the best damn news we got in a long time!"

Rick followed his friends to where his father and the others were waiting to plan how they were going to retrieve whatever they could and get out. Mr. Grimes warned everyone to keep an eye out for anything. The appearance of a map was a much needed discovery, but it was still a very unnerving one. Mr. Grimes and his community were very desperate for any medicine, even if that meant potentially getting into a trap. Mr. Grimes' plan was ready and accepted by most. Rick was not happy that his father wanted him, Shane and a few others as look outs and basically away from any harm. Rick wanted to be by his father's side at all times, but his father's orders were final.

They reached the clinic which was one mile away from their camp site. They checked the perimeter. Rick, Shane and three more were left out as look outs as Mr. Grimes and the others proceeded inside. There were no threats by the living and just a few walkers that were dispatched quickly. One of the people inside the clinic was a Physician Assistant named Emma and she helped choosing what was needed back at their settlement. The run appeared to be a success and most importantly there were no casualties.

On their way back to the camp site, Rick noticed something shinning in an abandoned car. When he approached it, he saw a golden necklace with a cross attached to it. It was hanging from the rearview mirror. He took it and held it in his hand. There was a small diamond in the middle of the cross. Seeing the way the sunlight hit the diamond and the smooth feel of the necklace reminded Rick of someone he lost, but it also felt like a sign of hope.

"What ya got there kid?... Ya gonna start prayin' now or somethin'?" Shemp laughed and shook his head.

"Pray?...I still do on occasion, but don't know if it's gettin' heard… But my momma always did, right til the end. I'm gonna put this on her tombstone." Rick put the necklace in his pocket.

"Let's trade… I got some things on our run and we can…"

"We ain't tradin' shit Shemp!" Mr. Grimes yelled from far interrupting Shemp's attempts to negotiate with the minor Grimes. "We bring everything back to our people and disperse evenly. That is what we decided when we left and that is what we are gonna do when we return."

Rick shrugged his shoulders and continued to walk with the others. Shemp stood back and stared at the young man and took a deep breath as he held his rifle in a tight clutch.

XXXXXXXXX

It was the final night. The people were settled in the camp and all the items retrieved in the run were all packed and placed inside the beds of the trucks. Rick had a plate of food which consists of can beans, corn, beef jerky and bread. He looked off into the woods. There were laughter and different conversations going on, but all he could think about was the stranger in the woods. Rick stood up and walked towards the woods. Shemp watched from where he sat only a few feet away.

As Rick walked and advanced into the woods the voices and laughed began to sound further way. He found himself near the creek and looked around.

"Hey…Are you out here?..." Rick spoke out, but he knew he could not yell. He did not want to alert unwelcomed guests. He looked at the creek and shook his head and sighed softly and turned with his head down.

"Yes, I am." Said the girl, who stood right before him with a simple stare and a slight tilt of her head. Rick stood with wide eyes as she looked even more astonishing as she did the first time they met.

"Hi…Um..." Rick did not know what to say. He looked around and noticed that he still held his plate of untouched food. He lifted the plate and offered it. "Um… would you like some?...It's not touched or anything.'"

She looked at the plate and then at him and shook her head. "You were looking for me, right?" She asked as she stared into his eyes.

"Yes." Rick smiled. "You just left and didn't say anythin'…Oh, you dropped this." Rick reached into his back pocket and pulled out her clothe. She slowly reached for it and took it from him. He gave her a warm smile and despite wanting to stay stoic, she returned his gesture with a smile of her own.

Rick nodded and couldn't stop smiling. He found her scowl to be intriguing, but her smile literally made his heart skip. "I'm Rick by the way."

"I know. I heard the other guy call your name a few times." The girl stated.

"Why are you here?... I mean out here like this? Alone?" Rick stood with one hand in his pocket and the other holding the plate.

"Who says I'm alone?" She looked around. She kept a distance of three feet from Rick. "I got to go." She turned to leave.

"Wait!" Rick took a couple of cautious steps towards her. She turned to face him again. "Was it your name?" The girl did not answer. "Did you leave the map in our camp?"

"Did you get what you needed?" She asked.

"We got a lot of stuff, actually. Thank you very much!" Rick smiled and nodded. He shifted his weight from one leg to the other nervously trying to adjust his stance. It has always been difficult for him to speak to girls and this stranger was making it even more challenging but worth it.

She looked down slightly, then back up at him and nodded with a smile. "Well, I thank you for returning this to me… it was given to me by someone special, so it means a lot to me."

Rick nodded as well and smiled. "You sure you ain't hungry? We got plenty and my people are good people."

"I'm fine and I have to go." She was about to leave but stopped to address him. "A word of advice?... Always keep your weapon ready when you're out here okay?"

"Yeah, I get it. Not all strangers are like you. It's not easy putting your trust in a stranger." Rick retorted.

"No Rick…" She looked him straight in his eyes. "Don't put your trust in anyone…but yourself when you're out here."

"I get it." He retorted. As she turned to leave. "Say…will I see you again?" Rick asked and held a small breath as he waited for a response. She smiled and felt herself holding a small breath of her own.

*Crunch!...Crunch!* Rick turned to look behind him after hearing crunching of dried leaves under someone's feet. The walk did not sound clumsy so he immediately thought it could not be a walker it must be Shane.

"It's okay. It's my friend…" He turned towards the mysterious girl, but she was gone once again.

"Dammit! Not again!" He kicked some dirt on the ground and then decided to walk towards the sound. "Shane, I'm okay…."

"I'm not Shane." It was Shemp and he was accompanied by Connor.

"Listen kid; just give him what he wants." Connor pleaded.

"What? You mean what I found? I ain't give you shit Shemp." Rick tried to walk past the two men when he felt a sharp pain on the side of his face. The pain was followed by another one. He went for his side gun, but Connor was quicker and took it out of his holster. Rick was disoriented with the two blows he received, couldn't fight Connor. Once Rick hit the ground face forward, he turned to see that he was hit with the handle of Shemp's rifle. Rick could feel blood on his right temple.

"Give it to me you little piece of shit!" Shemp demanded through gnashed teeth. Rick looked Shemp in his eyes and didn't show any fear.

"Just do it kid!" Connor insisted. "Or he'll kill ya."

"He kills me and my father will hunt him down like the sad excuse that he is."

Shemp pointed his rifle at Rick's head. Connor took out his gun and did the same, but unlike Shemp, Connor's hand was shaking.

"Shemp…We can't just kill the kid." Connor looked over at his friend with pleading eyes.

"Yeah…I suppose." Shemp removed the point of the rifle from Rick's head. He looked at him. "You are one cocky little son of a bitch ain't ya?" He laughed and then in an instant turned the rifle around and with one swift blow rendered Rick unconscious on the ground. He reached in Rick's pocket and took the necklace. "Yeah, we ain't killin' the kid, we just leave him here and somethin' will eat him." Shemp walked away with his rifle on his shoulder and admired the necklace in his left hand. Connor looked at the helpless Rick, but followed his friend.

As both men continued to walk quietly through the woods Conner heard the sound of bending tree branches, along with a strong scent of mint that stung his nose. He thought guilt was playing tricks on him so he ignored it. They took a few steps away when someone stood in front of them.

"Whoa!... Are my eyes deceiving me?... Shit! I think it must be my lucky day." Shemp looked up and down at the person that stood in front of him. It was the mysterious girl in the woods.

She looked at the two men. She looked behind them and could see Rick lying on the ground. She took a deep breath, slowly removed her sword from the sheathe and narrowed her eyes.

Shemp looked at Connor and then aimed his gun as Connor did the same. The girl moved quickly in the night. She was lost in the woods.

"Where the hell is she?" Shemp moved around trying to find her. Connor was next to him. "Connor do you see somethin'?..."

"Ahhhhh!" A long piece of steal came out of Connor's chest. He lost the hold of his gun. He tried to reach for Shemp who moved away from him and started to run.

Shemp ran through the trees. He didn't know which direction to go. His heart was beating fast. He pointed his rifle towards his left, then his right. He turned completely around. "I'll kill ya you hear?...Just leave me the hell alone….Aaaaahhhh!"

Metal pierced through his back and came out through his chest. He dropped his weapon. Blood began to spill out his mouth and nose. He fell to his knees. She walked closely behind him and put her mouth close to his ear. "Today was not your lucky day." She moved back and kicked him off her sword. After cleaning the remaining blood off her sword with the flick of her wrist she patted down the victim's body to find anything useful. Digging into his pockets she pulled out a necklace with a cross on it; realizing the jewelry belonged to Rick. She quietly rushed over to the pond to clean off the blood from the necklace. Kneeling down to an unconscious Rick the mysterious woman placed the necklace in his hand and closed his fist.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

*Vroooooooommm!"

Rick opened his eyes and sat up. He was in one of the trucks. A sharp pain on his head made him reach for his temple and felt something covering a small area. He looked in the rearview mirror and saw that he had a wound that was tended to and patched up. He had a slight headache, but decided to open the car door and walk out. He looked around and saw his people getting ready to leave.

"You okay now son?" Rick turned to the sound of his father's voice.

"Huh?... I'm here? What happened?" Rick was puzzled. His last memory was his altercation with Shemp in the woods.

"You tell me… It looks like you had a bad fall here in camp."

"Here?...You found me here?"

"Yeah, right there next to the trees, not too far. It looks like you bumped your head. So Emma patched you up and we put you in here for a while. You had me scared."

"I didn't bump my head. It was Shemp. He did it to take my necklace. The one I found for mom…"

"Your necklace?...You mean this?" Mr. Grimes reached into his pocket and took out the necklace and gave it to Rick.

"Dad, where did you find it?"

"You had it when we found you. It was in your hand. I didn't want you to lose it since you were out cold, so I held it for you…So that asshole Shemp hit you?"

Rick nodded without looking at his father and just stared at the necklace.

"We haven't seen him or Connor since yesterday. And we ain't waiting for them anymore. You need to get better rest and we all need to go. So just stay in the truck. I'll be back in a few minutes and then we are pulling out."

Rick sat back in the truck. He looked out into the woods. "Was it you?...Did you do this?... What is your name?"

The trucks rolled out one after the other. The girl looked from a hill top as they all left. She stood with rope in her hands. The rope was tide to an arm and jawless Shemp and Connor. They were connected to the rope by their necks. Other walkers walked by and ignore the girl as she stood and watched.

"Bye Rick." She whispered.

She walked into the woods with her pets. She reached a small camp site where she tied the pets to a tree. She sat on a log and another girl sat next to her and handed her a pear.

"So Michonne, any new adventures?... Started anything new?" Asked the girl.

"Well Andrea…It ended before it started." Michonne took a bite of the pear and sighed deeply. She felt confused knowing this was the first person she didn't kill. But at the same time couldn't figure out what drove her to meet Rick at the creek for a second time, or why she chose to help him get supplies. How can she want to help a man she's never met before? Thinking about his glassy blue eyes made her feel a certain type of way. A certain kind of way she never felt before. She kept her head down to prevent Andrea from seeing the small smile on her face. She would have to move on from this feeling eventually but wanted to enjoy it for now.

 **_0_**

 **Much more to come!**

 **Thanks for reading!**


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